NYCOM vs AZCOM

[stillwaiting]

Please advise!!! I am totally stressing over which school to go to. The facilities in AZ are much better as is the class size, but the hospital affiliations are great at NYCOM. I eventually want to end up doing residency on the east coast. Does it matter which school I go to? Also, if I decide I want to transfer into an MD program which school looks better? Thanks for any and all help.

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[Cowboy DO]

When you say "transfer into an MD program" do you mean do an allopathic residency?

 

[doyoda2004]

If you want to do your residency out east, I suggest you pick NYCOM. this will give you a chance to have more face time as part of the residency selection process. And you are right, comparing teaching hospitals, NYCOM is miles ahead of AZ (although AZ is a fine school).

Good luck

 

[stillwaiting]

I was told by several graduates of NYCOM that many of the clinical hospitals are great, and many are so-so. With AZCOM you basically get to set up your own clinicals so I would be able to set them up back east if I wanted to...hence you can see all my dillemas. :0)

 

[bustbones26]

Let me ask you just one question, if you want to transfer to an MD school after two years, then why even go to DO school at all? Just curious?

 

[stillwaiting]

I am just trying to get info in case..I like to have alternate plans in case I am not happy. I have 100% confidence in the DO degree if that is what you are asking. I just want to know my options and how other schools view the 2 I mentioned.

 

[Cowboy DO]

I meant transfer after 2nd year of DO school into an MD school for the final 2 years.

Transferring medical school, even from MD to MD or DO to DO is extremely rare, and you must have extreme circumstances like family emergency, etc. Transferring from DO to MD or visa versa is rarer than rare, with that said no schools gonna make it easier for you switch than the other because its not going to happen anyway, unless maybe you switch to ross or st.george.

 

[jhug]

this is one comparison i've never seen, i'm anxious to see what people have to say. I can't really say much about NY, but i couldn't imagine being any happier at a school than i am here. Our class is amazing and we all are here to help each other out...sharing notes, practice tests, etc...The professors (for the most part) are excellent, and rotations, imo, are a step ahead in that you are able to do preceptor-based, as well as hospital-based rotations. You have the potential to get a great one-on-one learning experience that you can then apply in a hospital setting. For example, a 4th year i know delivered 35+ babies on a preceptor ob-gyn rotation last year and then was able to rotate back east in a teaching hospital....she was MILES ahead of other 3rd and 4th year students. Good luck!

 

[bustbones26]

I suppose what I am saying is, why bother spending two years busting your rear at a DO school if you truely do plan to go to an MD school? I don't believe that an MD school will give you credit for that so you will just be wasting your time and money. I wasn't questioning your confidence in the DO degree, I was questioning why you wanted to learn two years of medicine, only to repeat two years of medicine basic science when you switch? And think of how much money in loans you would be racking up? Be aware, you ARE limited on the amount of loans you can take out. YOu can't take out I believe more than 200K undergrad and grad combined.

 

[irish79]

I don't think you would have to repeat the first two years if you transfer from DO to MD. From what I have heard, you cannot transfer MD to DO w/o doing them over (b/c of the OMM portion), but DO to MD isn't a problem. Then again, why not just go to MD school first...if that is the ultimate goal?

 

[kristing]

Why worry about hospital affiliations when you don't plan on staying at that schoolanyway? Don't go DO at all if you want to become an MD. Let the space be filled by someone who wants to go to DO school.

It gets annoying listening to the malcontents who just want to be back door MDs in class bag on OMM. Really annoying. We don't need you at our school.

Normally I am nicer. But this is so aggravating.

kristin
MSIII
AZCOM

 

[stillwaiting]

Why worry about hospital affiliations when you don't plan on staying at that schoolanyway? Don't go DO at all if you want to become an MD. Let the space be filled by someone who wants to go to DO school.

It gets annoying listening to the malcontents who just want to be back door MDs in class bag on OMM. Really annoying. We don't need you at our school.

Normally I am nicer. But this is so aggravating.

kristin
MSIII
AZCOM

I in no way meant to offend you, OMM or infer that a DO degree is sub par. I merely wanted to get AS MUCH feedback as possible. I just like to know all of my options. I just brought up the question because I wanted to know what one does if they decide DO is not for them after already enrolling in school and going through a year or two. I loved AZCOM and have several friends who are DOs. I have no doubts about the program. I hope there are no hard feelings. If so, I sincerely apologize.

 

[bustbones26]

I actually have heard great things about AZCOM myself. But be aware, that EVERY school has is negatives.

I think I see what you are saying, you are saying that if you go to AZCOM and then find out after two years that you really hate OMM or osteopathy, then what would you do? The answer to that is real simple, stay at AZCOM and finish your thrid and fourth years? why??

Because OMM is one of those things that you are not obligated to do once you become a practicing DO, yeah you may need to review the basics of OMM to pass your boards, but if you are a DO, and you dislike OMM, and you never want to use it ever again, then it can be done!!!

That is the biggest advantage of the DO degree, you have to learn the basics of OMM to pass your boards, but after that, you can take OMM as seriously as you want, and you still get to learn all of the medicine that the MD's learn.

But lets be straight, there are some disadvantages of DO too, one thing is, right now, you can't practice overseas with a DO degree. Second, the AOA doesn't offer as many osteopathic residency programs as there are DO gradutaes. This really is not much of a problem though because as long as you do an AOA internship, you can do and MD residency, many hospitals don't care what your degree is.

So if you really like AZCOM and you think that its your home, then go for it, don't let the DO thing stop you, the only thing that you will be limited by is the fact that you can't practice overseas.

 

[Cowboy DO]

Good post. A few corrections though.

Second, the AOA doesn't offer as many osteopathic residency programs as there are DO gradutaes. This really is not much of a problem though because as long as you do an AOA internship, you can do and MD residency, many hospitals don't care what your degree is. .

You don't have to do an AOA internship, to go on to do an MD residency.

So if you really like AZCOM and you think that its your home, then go for it, don't let the DO thing stop you, the only thing that you will be limited by is the fact that you can't practice overseas.

You can practice overseas, it just depends on where. Also keep in mind just because you have an MD that doesn?t allow you to automatically move and open up shop. You have to apply for practice rights too and though it may be easier than if you were a DO it can still be difficult.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=107627

 

[daelroy]

Please advise!!! I am totally stressing over which school to go to. The facilities in AZ are much better as is the class size, but the hospital affiliations are great at NYCOM. I eventually want to end up doing residency on the east coast. Does it matter which school I go to? Also, if I decide I want to transfer into an MD program which school looks better? Thanks for any and all help.

Not to be rude but it's a no-brainer. Go to NYCOM. You said it yourself. You want to settle down on the east coast. You will have a ton of alumni to network with on the east coast since most NYCOM grads settle on the east coast. You can't do all your roations on the east coast. AZCOM makes you do half your rotations in Arizona during third year. That will hurt your chances. And technically, you can set up your rotations on the est coast but it's a lot easier said than done. You have to make sure each hospital has room etc. It's not easy setting things up all the way out in Arizona. At NYCOM, you won't have to worry about any of that. Just having to do that process by yourself is a full time position itself. Do you want to deal with that headache? Go to NYCOM buddy. As far as transferring, NYCOM is older and more established than AZCOM. There are many more MD schools in the area than know about NYCOM. In AZ, there is only one MD school in Tucson and it's limited to AZ residents only. Like I said, it's a no-brainer. It makes no sense for a person in your situation to attend AZCOM. Don't let that nice campus fool you into making a really dumb decision.